Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1887-01-01
STEVENS, BICYCLE RIDE.
HIS Recent Experiences I'm China and
Arrival 1t SHANGHAI.

AAAD ASCCCMS experiences I'm emma ana
Arrival at Shanghai.
A correspondent of the Shanghai Courier, writ
Ing from kiukiang under date of November l6
gives the following interesting details OF Thomas
Stevenss adventuresome bicycle trip through
China:
This morning very much travel-stained, un-
Washed, unshaven, unshorn unfed, slip-shod and
altogether disreputable looking specimen OF the
genius Fankwae Qoreign deviD appeared mysteri-
ously and unannounced upon our bund. He be-
strobe queer-looking vehicle that the Celestials
OF the middle kingdom had never seen the like OF
, DeiOre: consequently numerous and highly de-
lnonstrative crowd Of these most inquisitive Of
0r1ais brought up the rear, until they them
the English consulate. need hardly add that the
cause or all the cOmmotfOn was Mr.. Thomas
stevens on his bicycle who had arrived, after one
Two weeks later than he had expected. In an in
oersiew had with him he gave me the following
account OF his journey:
Starting from Canton on October IL, had ex-
P"t gu 10 reach kiukiang inside OF twenty days.
ous calculations, based on my experience In other
totally different country from any OF the others
nau lraversed, both as regards roads, people, ac-
c Go nm and experience generally would
De nItie exaggeratfOn to say that the only roads
IN SCUM China the north may be little differently
are the rivers, and no exaggeratiOn whatever to
boat, In which one can live as In house Strictly
speaking there are no roads at ALL as we under
Stand me term; only narrow footpaths leading
neIe tnere and everywhere, and yet nowhere In
particular; an intricate maze of tracks about the
nee nelds In which stranger finds himself hope
ably lost at last The aH ont @ after
travelling, should think, thirty miles, found
MyseiI In village about thirteen miles out.
smoothness OF surface for which an experienced
cycier naturally yearns, who sees the pleasant au-
SIT past na the S
ders and rough slabs OF stone, once laid level but
now now more often sloping at angles that render
or barefooted Chinaman are the Chief charac-
more than two feet wide, and often rise several
them is feat really equal to the performance Of
walking on wall. Under these circumstances a
thinks ns Of ssTspng his
bullets. =
l persevered for four days, hoping the roads
country where there were no paths no paddy
fields only the Pe-kiang river and the rocky noun
tains sloping to the waters edge. sampan would
days. All! but the good people at home (some Of
them) would say "PoOh! he was afraid to go
through; the badness of the roads is only conven
lent excuse" As it would never do 10 give the good
people at home the opportunity OF thinking this,
concluded to go through to Kiukiang and Shanghai
a an6 p }o way possible -Four days polling rowing
ana TOUR more with coolies carrying the bicycle,
Drought me over the Meel1ng Pass and into the
the Kan-kfang river at Nanhung, / might have
come down stream all the way to the Poyang Hoo.
dound the paths In kiang-tse, however, quite an
my way down to Kin-gan-fOo.
SO far, had got along without serious trouble
with the people. Kan-tchou-foo, had been told,
was a risky city to visit; but trunded the bicy-
Gle through 1t from one end to the other, in the
middle OF surg1ng, shouting crowd, and, beyond
gettlng my helmet knocked OF q few times, was
onered no 1ndfgnftfeS. Ta-hO was the first city
where the authorities saw At to favor me with an
escort; they sent couple Of soldiers with me to
hln-gan-fOO. They evidently knew what they
were about; for should have Jared badly had
reached S kingan-foo alone not knowing the direct
we approached the city; the mob collected, and
While yet several hundred yards from the Yamen
Inc stones began to come, and wild yells for the
knocked me senseless had been wearing an ordi-
nary hat only made dents in the big pith solar
topee had worn through India, and which effect
into the Yamen with but few trifiing bruises and
one spoke broke out OF the bicycle; but of the
soldiers got badly hurt on the arm, prob
them that was armed, and until we reached
the outer Yamen gate they confined them
selves TO yelling and throwing stones. Several
then rushed forward and seized The bicycle: but
the officers came to the rescue and hurried me
into the Che-hSien's Office. 1t was pandemOn1um
broke loose around the Yamen gates all the even
ing the mob bowling for the ''Toreign devil" the
shouts OF the soldiers keeping them at bay and the
Officers loudly exp0stulating and haranguing
.lenl lIonl titue W lme Us the yin seemed 10 nc
increasing. PrOclamattOnS were sent out by the
Che-hsien, and toward midnight the mob had
finally dispersed. l was then placed aboard a
sampan, and With guard OF six soldiers, spirited
OIL down the stream. After this the authorities
never allowed Inc to travel by bicycle, but passed
me ON down stream by boat from town to town,
under guard, until we reached Wu-ching on the
Poyang Hoo, when, by much persuasion, l OBJ
tanned permission to take short cut across the
country to Ktuktang: but still with an escort.
To this account the Shanghai Courier OF No
vember 1s adds: "Mr. Stevens after seeing the
British consul at kiukiang took passage In the
steamer Picking, and arrived here this forenoon"